Athletic swing training harness

ABSTRACT

It can be difficult to teach the athlete to coordinate his arms and his body during an athletic swing. The natural tendency is to think of an athletic swing as event that happens with the arms. The thought is that the arms control the hitting device back and forward to swing at the object to be struck. Arms have many moving parts to control and as such it is difficult to pull a hitting device back and then deliver it forward to perform a solid connection with the ball. The body is a stronger and better instrument for delivering a hitting device back and forth. The body can simply turn to bring the device back and then turn back to deliver it to the starting position. In hitting a ball, it is best if the arms do little work. To train the arms and body to be in sync during the hitting motion instruction of the concept is important. Even with this knowledge, the arms and the body may try to remain two independent elements during the athletic swing motion. The Athletic Swing Training Harness easily keeps the arms and body “connected” by having the arms press lightly into the harness&#39;s arm pads. Automatically the arms and body are in sync during the swing motion resulting in a more controlled swing. As the body and arms swing back and then forth in unison, the chances of hitting the object to be struck squarely is greatly enhanced. The struck object will fly better to the targeted direction and often fly faster/further because of the torque delivered by a body/arm swing that is “connected”.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISK

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APPENDIX

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The field of endeavor to which this invention pertains is athletictraining in the sports of golf, tennis and baseball. The invention aidsin executing the optimal swing action that results in better control ofthe direction of the ball that is struck. In swing sports, particularlygolf, tennis and baseball, the most effective swing action is when thearms are in sync and “connected” to the body. When this “connected”swing occurs, it results in more control distributed to the object to bestruck, i.e. a golf ball. If the arms are not “connected” to the bodyduring an athletic swing, unintended ball flight can occur, i.e. a slicein golf or pushing a tennis ball out of bounds. This concept of keepingthe arms tucked into the body can be difficult to conceive of andexecute especially for beginners/amateurs in a swing sport. There appearto be no training devices that easily help keep arms dose to the bodyduring the swinging motion.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The Athletic Swing Training Harness is a device that assists the body tomake athletic swings with the arms held close to the body. Athleticswings that occur in this manner deliver straighter ball flight withmore power delivered to the hitting object. The Athletic Swing TrainingHarness helps athletes to hold their arms into the body when swinging.When properly used, it keeps athletes from swinging with just arms orarms that are not in sync with the body's natural swing movement. TheAthletic Swing Training Harness positions flexible pads between theupper arm and body which when squeezed automatically keep the arms closeto the body, the most productive swing position. The pads are held inplace by a strap mechanism or are inserted in “pockets” attached to atee shirt type garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is the front view of the Athletic Swing Training Harness in thebody strap configuration. It shows how the harness fits on the uppertorso, clearly identifying the main harness strap, front closure, rightand left arm pads and shoulder support straps.

FIG. 2 shows how the Athletic Swing Training Harness strap fits acrossthe upper back of the body detailing the same elements of the harness asdescribed in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is the front view of the Athletic Swing Training Harness in thetee shirt configuration. It shows how the arm pads fit into “pockets” inthe tee shirt below the arms to hold them in the proper position.

FIG. 4 is the side view of the Athletic Swing training Harness tee shirtconfiguration showing how the arm pads fit into the “pockets” in the teeshirt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The Athletic Swing Training Harness in the strap configuration is madewith a strap that is roughly 4 inches wide that encircles the body andcloses with a front closure device, i.e. Velcro. To support the bodystrap in the proper position across the upper chest, two shouldersupport straps are attached to each side and go over the right and leftshoulders. Also attached to the body strap are 2 flexible padsapproximately 4 inches wide by 5 inches long and 2 inches deep at thetop and 1 inch deep at the bottom. These pads are attached to the bodystrap under each arm.

In the Athletic Swing Training Harness in the tee shirt configuration ismade by installing 2 pockets under the arm area into which are insertedthe arm pads. These arm pads are made of flexible material and areapproximately 4 inches wide by 5 inches long and 2 inches deep at thetop and 1 inch deep at the bottom.

When wearing either configuration of the Athletic Swing Harness on thebody, the athlete is instructed to lightly grip the arm pads with theinside of the upper arm throughout the swinging motion. This action orfunction keeps the arms “connected” to the body and keeps the athletefrom swinging just with the arms or with the arms out of sync with thebody. The body is then the primary control device for executing anathletic swing which reduces extra arm motion which can cause a swing togo out of control of off the simplest plane of the back and forthbody/arm swing motion. The result of this swing which is “connected” tothe body is impact with the ball which delivers more control ofdirection of ball flight and more power in the connection of the strike.

1. What I claim as my invention is a device that helps the body keep thearms close to the upper torso during an athletic swing.